My Brother's Keeper
by Getsunohimesama
Summary: My name is Bakura Amane and I was 8 years old when I died. That's my story.


**Disclaimer: Everything is mine! Mine I say! Except YuGiOh and YuGiOh the Abridged series.**

**A/N: I have kept the English names although the story takes place mainly in season 0. Also the appearances of the characters are not those of season 0 either. R&R, flames will be used in burning the flamer, constructive criticism accepted with glee, gratitude and cookies.**

**My Brother's Keeper**

I am Bakura Amane. And I was 8 years old when I died. Yeah, that's right I'm dead. I am a spirit wandering this world and blah blah. That's my story.

After me and Momma had a car accident all those years ago, I woke up in the hospital, stark naked and in a body bag. I know that because when I saw myself lying there I kinda freaked out. You know, running around like a decapitated chicken screaming bloody murder and all. However when nobody came in I decided to go out myself, see why no one payed attention to someone who's screams could wake the dead. (You can see the irony in this can't you?). My first clue that I no longer was a part of this world was that I couldn't open the door. Instead my hand passed straight through it.

"What's-", I thought freaked out and made a run for the hall. I wanted my Mommy. I ran through several corridors feeling this _pull_, an urge to _find_ something. Only when I saw my Dad and Ryou there, holding each other tightly I understood why I felt like that. Because when I saw Ryou I understood that I did not need to find something but rather to find _someone._ Ryou.

He was crying. Papa did too. I had never seen Papa cry. I ran to them and called out to them asking why they were crying. Why were we in a hospital anyway?

And then it hit me. I remembered the honk of our car, the sound of something getting crashed.

"My bones", I thought suddenly and shuddered. My hand passing straight through the door and then _me_ passing straight through it.

I was dead.

It couldn't be.

I was here.

I couldn't be dead.

I went through the list again.

I was dead.

_I WAS FREAKIN DEAD!_

It was not possible. Yet here I was. Passing through doors and remembering my bones getting crashed.

"It's not possible", I tried to tell myself, still in denial.

"It is Amane. The faster you face the facts, the better." said my own inner voice. But how could I?

Yet, it was proved that not only I could but that, in time, I did. I followed my family (or what was left of it) out of the hospital. I sat next to Ryou in the backseat as always, and watched him crying for me. I was crying for me too. I know that they were suffering too but give me a break. I was dead after all.

It was proved that I couldn't stay too far away from Ryou. I had to be with him, next to him. To protect him. Of course, I was a crappy protector, for obvious reasons. I couldn't help him when he was bullied at school or anything like that. But I could comfort him. Dad started going to archeological expeditions again soon enough and Ryou was forced to go with him. Having no friends that would last longer than Dad's latest expedition, I was his only true friend. I knew that he was what kept me on Earth, stopping me from moving on and go to wherever dead people go, but I didn't mind. After all that is what siblings are for isn't it?

I was pretty sure that he could sense me. Not know that I was there but close to it. So strong was the bond we shared that I was even growing with him, maturing "physically", as I would have had I been alive. He started writing me letters, asking how Mom and I were doing, how it was like in heaven.

I don't know Ryou. I've never been there.

It had already been about 2 years since my death.

The first thing that crossed my mind when I first saw it was

"Crap."

I was absolutely sure that there was something really wrong about that pedant.

It was a gift my father had bought for him. We currently resided in Egypt, my father making some kind of research on a Pharaoh with no name or whatever. He was taking a walk in the market, when he spotted it, that's what he said. Saw it and thought of my brother. He bought it.

It was a necklace that represented a circle with a triangle in it and an Eye of Horus in the middle (See how many things you learn when your Dad is an archeologist), with five prongs hanging from it. It was made of gold and I trembled in the idea of how much it must have costed him. I didn't know why I didn't like it, I just… well, I didn't. It had an aura of sorts, something so dark that it scared me out of my wits. I wanted to take it from my brother's hand and throw it as far away as humanly possible. I couldn't. Ryou put it on.

A wave of dark energy shocked me, yet only I noticed. And suddenly there was _something_ there. A presence. Nothing important though, nothing to worry about. It was there, yet not entirely there. Strange I know but I can't describe it any other way.

A few weeks passed. That feeling was still there but I soon forgot about it, barely even thinking it. Ryou was wearing his new pedant inside his shirt so as not to draw attention on it, believing that someone may try to steal it.

When Dad said that we were going to leave again Ryou was sad. He didn't want to. He had friends that he didn't want to leave behind. Dad felt sorry and took him to the playground. He played and ran around happily for a while. Then he suddenly came to a halt.

"We are still leaving aren't we Daddy?" he turned around and asked, all happiness gone from his face. Dad nodded and Ryou's eyes flashed with an expression of rare anger. Thinking back on it I think that was when he started to hate Dad. And then I felt another huge surge of power coming from the pendant, only this time a million times stronger than before. What was with that thing? It was like it was feeding off of Ryou's anger.

"I wish I could play games with my friends forever", Ryou whispered and then, the Eye in his pedant shined for only a second. Only I noticed.

Then we moved to Alexandria, Egypt and Ryou started going to his new school.

It was not bad in his new school. As the new boy he got attention and, believe it or not… fangirls. Yeah, I know. They are pretty much everywhere nowdays. He got new friends too. They are playing a new game whenever they can, a game named Monster World, I think. Talking about it too. So boring. I turned my attention to my surroundings and took in what I saw. It was strange, even now after two years of death that it seemed so abnormal. People were passing through me all the time and the only clue I got that they had noticed something was when a few shuddered. That was all that was left of me for the living. A cold spot. Annoying, to say the least.

Ryou's and Dad's relationship had drastically changed. It was somehow colder. But it wasn't until a certain day that, by my Dad's fault, everything started going really wrong.

It was September 2. Our birthday. We would become 11 years old. The past two years Dad had kept our little "tradition". Since Ryou and I where twins, we had one cake with two candles on it, one for me and one for Ryou. Also since neither me nor Mom were there (as far as they knew anyway), Dad placed Mom's picture nearby.

This year however it was not like that. There was still one cake. But only one candle. Mom's picture was nowhere to be seen. Both Ryou and I were really surprised.

"Dad?" asked Ryou

"What is it my boy?" asked Dad. He didn't even make an effort to look interested. He was just waiting for the "celebration" to finish.

"Why is there only one candle? Where is Mom's photo?"

Dad stiffened. What is going on?

"Listen son. I gave it some thought. Maybe too much. But I think that it's time to forget them. And go on. It won't be easy I know. But we can't live in grief. We need to make new lives and let them move on."

What was he talking about?

Obviously Ryou thought the same.

"What are you talking about Dad?" And there it was that flicker of anger once again. The pedant pulsed.

My Dad's eyes hardened.

"Exactly what I said. We have to go on. To forget."

"Forget who? Mom? _Amane?"_"

Now Ryou was furious. The pedant pulsed again, a far greater pulse of energy escaping.

Dad was taken aback by his reaction but quickly recovered.

"I will not tolerate disrespect from my own son. Go to your room immediately. What I say goes in here, you better understand this. Amane was my daughter! Anika was my wife! I love them and always will, but they are dead and I will not allow them to overshadow those alive!"

He was screaming now and seemed ready to hit him. I narrowed my eyes. So that's how it was for him. I positioned myself in front of my brother. I doubted it would do him any good if Dad decided to actually hit him, but I would also do anything in my power. More dark energy came off of the pedant. It caught my attention. What the hell? But my attention quickly went back to Ryou and Dad, when Ryou answered.

"By honoring their memory they overshadow us? I will not forget them _Father._ To show respect to those we love is not allowing them to _overshadow _us_._ I feel sorry you think so. I will go to my room as you asked of me. Goodnight. Thanks for the cake."

His voice was soft and coldly polite. But it was also obvious if you could see his face that he was so full of rage that even another word would make him snap. Ryou was easy, sweet, obedient and kind-hearted. I don't think I ever saw him that furious. Or even pissed for that matter. My Dad stared at him dumbly as Ryou bowed the traditional respectful bow and retreated. I followed him, not bothering to look back. The pedant pulsed but I paid it no mind this time.

Ryou went into our room and closed the door. He stayed there a moment, expressionless. We heard the door open and then close. Dad was not home again. Then Ryou collapsed on the bed and started crying. I felt tears of my own on my cheeks, but I wouldn't cry. Someone had to be strong, for both of us.

"Happy Birthday Amane", he whispered

"Yeah. Happy Birthday Ryou. Thank you." I whispered back.

That's when I suddenly saw him.

There are two reasons why I can never forget our first meeting. One, it was like seeing a darker version of my brother. The second? He was looking straight at me and, after so much time of being invisible, it shocked me.

"Who are you?" I demanded, trying (and failing, may I add) to sound unafraid. He merely chuckled, but then asked:

"Who are _you_ girl? You are not from this world that much is obvious."

My eyes narrowed.

"Neither are you obviously. You can see me. This means you are dead. Are you from the pedant my brother carries around?"

He scoffed.

"Quick, aren't you?" he mocked me. But I have seen irritation flickering in his eyes. What for? I am sure that no one asked him in here, so he had no reason, or right for that matter, to be in my house.

"Go away. We have no need of you."

At that he started laughing. I scowled. I have sounded pretty brave and cold if I said so myself.

Then suddenly I struck the wall.

When I opened my eyes he was standing above me and looked angry.

"A mere kid will not disrespect me." He said. I just stared. But my anger quickly flared. I was not Ryou. I was short-tempered and that boy was about to get it.

"Why you-?! What do you think you are doing? This is _my_ house mister and you have no right to treat me any other way than the respectful one that someone shows his hostess! Honestly it's unbelievable how no one knows the term respect anymore!"

I should probably add here that this specific little rant was used by the teacher I had back when I was alive, whenever we were naughty. So I figured it was suitable if I made some minor adjustments.

The other spirits eyes flashed with anger for a moment, but then it vanished. He laughed again.

"Do not worry girl. I have no intention of harming my own body." he said, watching with a look of sick satisfaction as my eyes widened. What did he mean "my own body"? That was Ryou's body.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, afraid of my brother's well-being.

"What I said. But if I were you, I would worry more about myself than anything", he said and placed his hands around the replica of the pedant my brother had. Only it wasn't much of a fake it seemed. It glowed and I felt like I was being absorbed into an eternal darkness, waves of despair suddenly coming off of it.

I was shocked and sure I had met my demise. But then, suddenly Ryou got a soft white glow around him, which quickly covered me. I felt steady on my feet again.

The spirit of the pedant looked at me surprised, then back at Ryou, then back at me again. Then he seemed interested but also a little irritated.

"What a surprise. That is a strong bond you share isn't it? I don't really like it, but I guess that I'll have to make do with what I have. Beggars can't be choosers."

"No one forces you to stay you know. Or wants you for that matter. What do you want from my brother?" Now that I knew that I was in a relatively secure position I felt much braver than I probably would have otherwise.

"I chose your brother to be my host."

"Spirits can't take over the living." I knew. I had tried once or twice. And don't look at me like that. I am just a kid after all.

"I am no common spirit dear. I am the spirit that resides in the Millennium Ring. I am capable of things that mere left-overs like you cannot even imagine."

He had called the pedant a name that screamed evil. Seriously, couldn't Dad get him a stuffed puppy? And- had he just called me _left-overs_? The nerve of that guy!

"I don't want you near my brother"

"Such a pity."

"Can't you find another host? It must not be that hard for you. Just barge uninvited in someone else's house."

"You are hurting my feelings girl."

"It's Amane. Not girl."

"I don't care."

"You are just plain unmannered aren't you? My brother has his own problems to deal with. He doesn't need you."

"I still don't care. And, having seen how he deals with his problems, I'd say that he can use as much help as he can get."

"Not from the likes of you. You are a parasite." I spat, now furious. How dare he even _imply_ that he would use my brother like a tick uses a dog! By now he was furious too. I was hit by a wave of energy and struck the wall again.

"Listen girl and do so carefully. The only reason you are not in the Shadow Realm is because your bond with my host protects you. Remember that."

"_He is not your host!" _ I screamed in his face. "Stay away from him!"

He slapped me. I looked at him shocked. Never in my whole life as an alive being have I been beaten, not from my parents, not from anyone. It definitely was a first and not a welcome one at that.

"You will not disrespect me. I am not your brother." He then smirked. "Merely his new … _soul mate."_

He laughed as I screamed in rage and, forgetting anything he just said, jumped at him. He just stepped aside and I fell to the floor. I turned at him, angry and humiliated. I made to attack him again, but he stopped me by speaking again.

"Do not worry. I will… shall we say… pay my rent. I will grant him anything he wishes."

"And you will not harm him?" I demanded. This was a battle I could most certainly not win, so I would surrender taking as much as possible. "In any way?"

"It is in my best interests to keep him safe. So I won't." he said, enjoying the fact that I was trying to bargain. Because, let's face it, he could do anything he wanted to Ryou and I wouldn't be able to lift a finger to stop him.

"How do I know that you will keep your oath?"

He raised a brow. "Oath?" He was enjoying it too much for my taste.

"Yes. You are making an oath to me to not harm him. And pay your…rent" I said determined, spitting the word "rent" out of my mouth in disgust.

"What do I get in return?"

My blessings, I thought sarcastically.

"Nothing, I suppose. I can't help you in any way. So how will I know it?"

"Because I said so. That's the best you can get, take it or leave it."

I could not push it more.

"I see. Very well then." I said before sighing and muttering an ironic welcome. He chuckled and turned to Ryou. He moved towards him.

Then I remembered something. "Wait!"

"What now girl?" he said annoyed.

"Are you the reason that I can touch things sometimes? If I focus on it?"

"No. That's you."

"But I didn't focus on hitting the wall!"

"No. That was me."

He re-entered the Ring.

Idiot.

I understood soon enough though that the way he was going to keep his oath was not at all like I imagined. He took Ryou's only true wish, to have friends and twisted it so hardly and ruthlessly that I was terrified. When Dad announced that we were to move once more and Ryou invited his friends for a last Monster World game, the spirit took over him for the first time. Once they came and they started playing he turned it to what he called a Shadow Game. They lost the Game. And their souls were sealed in game pieces.

Ryou was at a loss. What had happened, he could not explain. He could not even remember the game clearly. The bodies stayed in the hospital, in a coma.

I, of course, was mad. I demanded explanations. He only laughed and said that he was only staying true to his oath. Now, he said, Ryou could play with his friends forever.

That happened again and again and soon Ryou started transferring from school to school, when his friends kept going into a coma, just by visiting. And really fast, he was alone once more. His fights with my Dad became more frequent and I knew that the only thing keeping the spirit from sealing him in was that Ryou needed a caretaker.

I was fighting with him all the time, our fights usually resulting in me screaming at him for his forsaken oath and him laughing at me and retreating into the Ring. I was helpless to stop him and could only watch as Ryou tried to be as away from others as possible, his only consolation his letters to me, which he never stopped writing and I never stopped reading and answering him, although he could not hear me. The spirit laughed at me in the beginning, but soon got bored and left me alone to complete this little ritual between me and Ryou in peace.

I had also had to learn if I could control the power of our bond.

Once I confirmed I could, I started practicing it constantly, trying to keep the spirit ignorant of the truth, taking advantage of the fact that he could not be too far away from Ryou. For me it was slightly annoying since when too far, I felt the constant urge to find him, but for the spirit it was painful, since he had bounded himself to Ryou in a much more complicated way.

I was now fifteen years of age.

I still was with my brother, answering his letters and being there for him, trying to give him strength.

The spirit that now called himself "Bakura", my last name, was still there. He had taken that name after I had said about a year ago, that I could not call him "Hey you" or parasite forever. He growled and said that I could call him whatever I wanted, he didn't give a damn. I smirked. I answered that I could call him Fluffy then. He seemed furious that I had mocked him and tried to do what he usually did when I was getting "sassy", throw me on a wall or something similar. He had not touched me since that first day, but he could still hurt me.

To his surprise I summoned my only protection, the bond I shared with my brother. After practicing it for years, I could summon it at will. I glowed a soft white. The spirit pushed. I pushed back.

Suddenly Ryou jumped awake clutching his chest in pain. I froze, my eyes widening and the spirit stopped immediately, his assault forgotten. I watched helplessly as Ryou calmed his heart by inhaling and exhaling in steady pace. The spirit said nothing, just looked at me and retreated back to the Ring.

The next day he told me that I could call him Bakura. I nodded and he vanished.

On the day that Ryou and I became fifteen, Dad announced that he was to go live in Domino City. We didn't understand and Ryou said so. Dad explained that he could not stand Ryou anymore. So he would send him in our old home. He would live there alone. Dad would visit from time to time and he would put some money to a newly opened bank account every month to cover his needs, but would stop the financial support once Ryou was eighteen. Then he would have to fend for himself.

I was not as shocked as I probably should. Bakura appeared next to me, giving my Dad a calculating glare. I stared at him questioningly. He shrugged and left.

Ryou, absolutely calm, asked when he was to leave. Dad said tomorrow. Ryou got up and went to his room to pack. Once upstairs, he packed everything he had. He gave a long, hard glance to a family photo, one taken when both Mom and I were alive. He started to sob and fell asleep doing so. There was no letter for me that night, the first time such thing has happened since my death.

Ignoring Bakura, who was staring at both of us from his corner, I sobbed too, for our dead family, my Dad, my Mom, myself and above all my brother and how _my _pathetic clinging to him, not the other way around, as I liked to think of it, could be of no help now. It never was.

We left the next day.

Dad was not there to say goodbye. A pair of keys and an obviously new cell phone on the kitchen counter was all that was there. Ryou left a note for my Dad.

"_**Do not visit me if you can avoid it please. It pains me too.**_

_**I will call you when I arrive to my destination."**_

We took a taxi to the airport.

During the flight, Bakura appeared next to me and said:

"He is contemplating suicide."

"What?!" I asked shocked.

"Do not fear. He is not brave enough to do so. But even if he can find the strength, I will not allow him to die just yet. I need him still."

"He wants to _kill_ himself. Don't you care about him at all?" I screamed at his face.

"No. I just thought that you may want to know. Also that it would be fun to see your reaction." He seemed delighted.

He left and I was so disturbed by his words that I could not say anything back to him.

We arrived in Domino City at noon. Ryou went to the first phone he saw, shoved a few coins in and then called Dad. He said that he was in the airport and asked for instructions to go to his new home. He wrote them down and before he hanged up, Dad told him the number of his bank account, the PIN of the ATM card, when he would next put more money in and thanked him for relieving him from the obligation to fly to Domino just to see him. Ryou said he was welcome and furious put the phone back, not saying goodbye.

It was the last time I saw him call Dad and Dad didn't call either.

Our first stop was on the bank. He took some money from the ATM and took a taxi. Bakura was sitting next to me all the way to our new home. The taxi driver asked him why he was all on his own and why he wasn't at school. Ryou said that he came here to stay with his grandparents, not bothering to hide his irritation and the driver, taking the hint, shutted up his mouth. Both Bakura and I growled at his indiscretion.

When we arrived home, Ryou went into our new apartment, which was cleaned by someone else, unpacked, ordered some food from his cell phone and, after dinner, showered and went to prepare for bed. He wrote me my letter, explaining the new situation and lied onto his back, not able to sleep. And then he cried again.

The Ring flashed gold for a moment and Ryou was unconscious.

"Thank you Bakura." I muttered and settled to watch over my brother for the night.

Ryou would not start school till the next week so we went for a walk to check out our new home. We went first in the nearest uniform shop so Ryou could order his new uniform for school. Then he wandered around aimlessly, so as to take a look around. He seemed deep in thought, but I disregarded it, believing it to be because of the newest turn of events in his life.

It was noon, right about the hour school ends. Ryou was heading home to take something to eat when suddenly I felt a change in him and an incredible energy, far stronger than the Ring's. Bakura appeared behind me, which confused me. I thought he was taking control over Ryou again but seeing him there changed everything.

"What the hell Bakura? You aren't doing this?"

He arced that damn eyebrow again. God, I so hated it when he did that! I wondered for what must have been the gazillionth time, how kindly he would take it if I at least tried to shave it off.

"Does it look like I do you idiot? It's the Ring."

"The Ring has its own spirit aside from you?" I asked horrified.

He facepalmed. "Is stupidity a natural trait of yours or you have worked for it? Of course not! The Ring is simply attracted to the source of energy!" He smirked. Of course it was a creepy one. What else to expect from Mr. Mysterious Megalomaniac Dark Freaky Manipulative Bastard? A creepy smirk. Classic villain. I wondered again what was wrong with stuffed puppies.

"What puppies?" he asked looking at me like I was insane. That was kind of hypocritical if you ask me. But there was…

"You can read my mind?" I asked horrified. The "you-are-pathetic" glance returned.

"You were speaking out-loud."

"Oh. What is that source of energy?"

"Only one thing can be that powerful. At last." He said and vanished. Fine, don't tell me you freak. See if I care. I sulked. I also had sensed the incredible increase in energy and now I was looking at its source. It was a puny little boy, with star-shaped tri-colored hair. Wow. And I thought our appearance was weird. Ryou and I both had white hair, but mine were not spiky like Ryou's, they were wavy and I had softer features. But back to the point.

The huge energy that was coming off of the pendant the boy wore ceased and for the flicker of a moment I felt another presence, causing me to stare at it more closely. It was an upturned pyramid with the Eye on the center. I sighed. Another mysterious thing that was obviously haunted. Great. They are multiplying now. I wondered how the boy could have taken hold of it and then decided I didn't care.

Ryou stopped in front of the boy and took a sharp intake of breath.

"Did I do something to you just now?" he asked. What?

The boy must've thought the same, because he looked at him weirdly and then shook his head no. Ryou sighed in relief.

"I see. I'm sorry. Sometimes I lose my memory…I'm glad nothing happened" he said, bringing his hand to his chest. The boy stared at him as if he was nuts. I growled, furious at Bakura once again. Then we heard a girly, slightly squeaky voice.

"Yugi! What are you doing?" Ryou turned and saw a girl, much taller than the apparent "Yugi", with blue hair and purple eyes and a huge yellow bow holding up her ponytail. She was cute. When she saw my brother though, her eyes practically turned to hurts. I rolled mine. She runned up to him and presented herself.

"Hey I'm from Domino High! My name is Nosaka Miho. This Saturday the school is having a popularity contest! I'm definitely going to win, so please take the role of escorting me!"

Ryou stared at her blankly and the boy looked at her weirdly. She was blushing furiously. Then my brother turned around and left without answering.

"Be sure to come! I'll be waiting!" she called after him. For the love of God girl. Go get some dignity. I stared at the boy for a moment. The girl, Miho, said something but I paid her no mind. Yugi stared at his pedant for a moment, puzzled. Then I turned around and left.

Only when we got home I realized that Bakura's presence had vanished from the moment he entered the Ring till we got home. What was going on here anyway?

The first day of school arrived. Ryou showered, got breakfast and started running as for not to be late. I sighed, that boy's sense of time was getting worse and worse.

When we got into the class, I sensed the same incredible energy as the day we met that Yugi boy. I immediately searched for him and easily found him at the back of the class. He seemed to recognize Ryou and he smiled. Taking a closer look, I had to admit he was sweet. I went close to him and cooed. Yep. Cute as a baby panda.

During the break, Ryou was surrounded by his new fangirls. I shook my head and I suddenly thought how long it would take for Bakura to ruin my brother's new life. My fists clenched.

Then Ryou, ditching his fan club (which was kind of rude) walked up to Yugi and two other guys that were with him, one with messy blond hair and the other with brown… was that a… why was this guy's hair pointy? I started laughing, something I had not done in a while. Try having Bakura as company and Ryou's (let's face it) messed up life to deal with and you will probably get my point.

Miho then talked to him.

"Umm… thanks for before. It's me. You know." I rolled my eyes at her again and noticed the pointy haired guy looked terrified. Miho was obviously his love interest. Poor guy. He didn't stand a chance against Ryou. Ryou looked at her strangely.

"Umm…I'm sorry… did we meet before?" She looked so hurt that I felt sorry for her.

"You don't remember?"

Then the fangirls came and, looking pretty dangerous when angry, charged at poor Miho. I just sweatdropped and turned my attention back to Ryou.

"Yugi. Your…pedant there… It has an interesting shape."

"It's called the Millennium Puzzle. It was found in an Egyptian grave."

Both mine and Ryou's eyes widened. Egypt again? Was there something particularly wrong with the Egyptians and their cursed artifacts, or was that just Ryou's infamous "luck" kicking in?

"Can I touch it?" His eyes narrowed slightly. He took hold of it and then both the Puzzle and the Ring shined. Ryou immediately left it and braced himself. I left an animalistic growl. What had Bakura done to him?

"What's wrong?" asked Yugi.

"No…It's nothing. I'm fine"

Yeah and I'm alive.

We were walking home with our new friends. They were chattering but I didn't pay them any attention, until a particular question was made.

"Bakura do you like games?" My attention was immediately snatched back to them.

"Yeah, I love them. Especially board games." Oh no.

"Then let's play a game to celebrate our acquaintance!" said Miho. I felt the urge to slap her.

"Game? Where?" asked the other girl.

"The game center. A new one opened past the train station."

"Ah right. I haven't been there yet."

"What do you say Bakura?"

"Okay. Sounds good."

"Then it's decided."

When we arrived in the game center they all started running around. I did not pay any attention. I had business of my own to attend to.

"Bakura. I need to talk to you."

Nothing. Like that was going to work.

"Come out you arsehole. I know you are there."

That should have made him furious and force him to come out to defend his honour by attempting to beat up a girl. Talk about morals. But nothing happened. I tried to sense him, but came out with nothing than the slight impression of a presence, like in the beginning. He was hiding. I wondered why, but then shrugged. At home he was sure to show himself.

I started to wander around aimlessly, when I felt an unbelievable amount of energy, obviously from the Puzzle. I ran at it and saw Ryou clutching his chest in pain, Miho over him and the Puzzle glowing.

"What the fuck Bakura?" I screamed.

"What's wrong Bakura?" asked Miho worried. Ryou leaned on the game he was at.

"I'm fine". Yeah and an idiot. "If I go home and rest…"

"Miho will walk you home." She said real worry in her face. The pointy-haired guy spoke up immediately.

"Miho, I'm going too." he turned to his friend. "Joey."

Joey nodded. "Yeah. Leave this to us."

"Are you okay Bakura?" asked Miho again. I resisted the urge to slap her again. What do you think genius? I wondered.

When we went home, Ryou went to his room and opened his shirt, revealing the Ring. I felt rage surging through me and went to the living room. Just you wait you son of a bitch. You are going to pay for this. After all of these years, I had enough.

When Ryou went to sleep, I walked over to him. Bakura appeared immediately, a cocky smirk on his face. I grew angrier.

"What are you doing to him? You swore you parasite! You are harming him in every way. Now what? You will _kill_ him?"

The smirk vanished.

"Watch your mouth girl. Do not even think that your pathetic bond with my host will protect you if I decide to seriously harm you."

I summoned the bond and stared at him challengingly.

"Just you try it parasite." I said falling in a defensive stance.

He looked at me and then laughed. Truth is I felt a little bit like an idiot, but this time I would stand my ground.

"You think you can actually oppose _me_?"

The Ring came to life and I prepared myself for the impact. He sent a beam of golden light my way, but I was ready and sent my energy to create a shield in front of me. Bakura's face showed some slight surprise for a moment, but then the pressure increased. I knew that I would not stand long without having to use Ryou. I needed to make my point and fast. I transferred more energy to my shield and saw him smirking in triumph. He thought it was a desperate move. I scoffed. Talk about ego.

Suddenly I let my shield vanish while at the same time diving for the ground. The energy of the Ring passed over my head, barely catching some hair. With a quick move, taking advantage of the fact that he was surprised, I shot an energy ball to his face, which caught him unguarded. He seemed shocked and then retaliated. It hit me straight in the stomach, bringing me instantly to my knees. Ryou bolted up, clutching his chest once again in pain.

I was panting. Suddenly I saw a pair of shoes in my line of vision and felt pain in my head. He had caught me from my hair and pulled me up to eye-level. I screamed. Ryou screamed too. I released the bond.

"What the hell do you think you are doing girl?" I ignored him and struggled. He yanked my hair violently and, when I didn't stop he slapped me. I screamed again and tears ran down my cheeks.

Ryou was panting, bracing himself as if he would fall apart otherwise.

"I asked you something."

"You are hurting him! You have to stop! You promised!" I said trying to calm myself down. Easier said than done. Bakura was a scary guy if he had to.

"And you think that _you_ can tell me what to do little one? I can drive him crazy if I choose to do so. The fact that his sanity is still intact should be enough for you."

I wanted to cry, to beg him to let me go. But he waited for it and I could not give this to him. Not yet anyway.

"Promise me that you will stop this." I said, my voice much more steady.

"I will promise you nothing. He is my host and I will use him as I see fit."

"Please Bakura." I whispered with tears of shame running down my face. I had messed up and Ryou was going to pay for it.

"No dear. You have to understand your place. I can do anything to your brother as long as his body is not harmed. Watch."

"Bakura no please!" I screamed "Please, I'm sorry!"

He turned my head forcefully to Ryou and held it there.

Oh my God.

He was going to make me watch.

I started to struggle, but it was to no avail. He wouldn't budge.

"Stop or it will be a lot worse for him."

I stilled. Bakura closed his eyes for a moment and Ryou tensed. He started panting once again. I had to do something. I gathered energy from our bond and got ready to strike. Bakura instantly released me and Ryou fell back, unconscious but seemingly unharmed. I released the energy I had gathered and stared up at Bakura. He was standing there, the anger gone. He stared back at me coldly, like he was measuring me. I quickly wiped the tears off of my face and standed up.

"I hope you've learned your lesson girl. The only reason that my host is not screaming right now is because tomorrow will be a big day and he will probably need all the strength he can get. Do not try to oppose me in such a way again. Understood?"

I felt humiliated. I had acted on impulse, allowing my anger to cloud my judgment and that was the result. I believed him when he said that what he expected to happen tomorrow, whatever that was, was what had saved Ryou.

"I said, understood?"

«What do you want me to say Bakura? I don't believe that I was wrong. You _do_ abuse your power over Ryou and you _are_ the source of most of his problems. You have done anything that can possibly harm him, except killing him. Did you really not believe that I would react?" I said all these things in a calm and emotionless tone, but it was pretty obvious that I was shaking with fear and, for the first time in years, I felt exhausted. He shrugged.

"I did not really care." he said and he vanished.

I was watching helplessly as Ryou could barely walk from the pain.

"I'm called. Something is calling me!" he mumbled and kept walking. Bakura appeared next to me and, before I could start accusing him, he stopped me.

"Don't bother. The Ring is what causes this. It is being summoned."

"Summoned? By who?" But instead of answering, Bakura tensed and then Ryou collapsed.

"Ryou!"

I noticed his body getting a bit wider, his hair more spiky. Bakura was in charge now.

"Do not worry girl. I'm taking my host to his destination. I don't want him to miss his fun." he whispered, not able to see me, but knowing that I could hear him.

He then chuckled and started walking.

"Fuck you Bakura." I said, mainly because I felt that he deserved it and also because he could not hear me.

We entered a building. Bakura started going upstairs and then suddenly two of the prongs of the Ring pointed to our left. He smirked and went to that direction. I sighed and followed. There, in a board game arena made from glass, was Yugi playing a board game with a child that looked kind of scary.

But then I noticed it. That presence again, from the Puzzle, only emanating a power that was even stronger, if possible. The spirit was possessing Yugi. Bakura grinned and then he switched control to Ryou, who looked around scared, not sure how he got here. When his eyes took on that same vacant look I had seen the day he met Yugi, I just followed, too scared to think of new insults about Bakura and his precious, stupid Ring. I went after him as he passed corridor after corridor as if he had spent his entire life here and saw in front of me Joey and Miho. What were they doing here?

"Bakura?" asked Miho shocked. Ryou just pointed to a direction and, when they turned to look, he left. He went back to normal and, with a resigned look in his face he followed the signs that had "Arena" written on them. Bakura's presence had vanished once more. Now I was positive. He was either afraid of the spirit in the Puzzle, or he didn't want it to know that he was here. Meaning they were probably not the best of friends.

Maybe the spirit of the Puzzle could help get rid of him and release Ryou. I had to warn the new spirit about Bakura.

I watched in awe as the spirit and that other boy played a game called Duel Monsters. I was cheering for him, but it was pretty obvious that he would lose. When the brunette summoned three white dragons in the field it was over for Yugi. He was looking uncertainly n his hand of cards. He made to draw and then stopped. The resigned look in his face told me clearly that he had lost all hope. Driven from curiosity I walked (or floated, suit yourself) to him and took a look in his hand. He had four cards that each resembled body parts, two hands, and two legs.

Yep, no hope for him.

However, the moment I turned to go, I felt a surge of power. It was like…well I felt like I was not the only one standing next to the spirit. I looked at him and saw his expression change. The other kid stared at him strangely.

"Kaiba, I have hope in hand." Said the spirit and drew. He smirked at Kaiba. "The card I drew is the sealed Exodia!" Well, he looked pretty happy for having such an ugly thing in hand that's for sure. I figured that he had won and left to go back to Ryou. He was gone and I quickly found him walking alone to the exit. He looked satisfied and I gave him a small smile.

"I can't believe he got Exodia! Good job Yugi!" I heard him say. He then froze and his hands went to the Ring. I felt Bakura return and my eyes hardened. Ryou's became wide.

"It's like someone's trying to open up from inside me!" He had never been able to sense Bakura taking control. What the bloody hell was going on? The Ring flashed and Bakura appeared in Ryou's place.

"Yugi…you are indeed worthy of possessing the Millennium Puzzle. But your next opponent is me!" See? Classic villain. But despite that, I had now confirmed my suspicions. He indeed was planning something for Yugi. And if I had to guess (and knowing Bakura it did not take a genius to do so) it contained a Shadow Game.

And probably disemboweled bodies, judging from the look on his face. Or maybe a human sacrifice. And pain. Lots of it actually. But the main idea was a Shadow Game alright.

Next morning, while we were walking towards the school building, we heard Miho calling out to Bakura. I sighed. It's so hard being handsome these days. The Ring flashed and, for a moment Bakura was out, grinning. Then Ryou came back. I was confused. What did Bakura want now? That was strange, even for him. Ryou turned to her.

"You startled me."

"Good morning!" said Yugi happily and the rest of his friends greeted Ryou.

"So you adjusted to school yet?" asked Yugi sweetly. Ryou was about to answer when he suddenly froze and his eyes became slightly bigger.

"Is something wrong?" Ryou brought his hands to his chest.

"S-sorry…! I have to go…!" he said quickly. My anger flared and I was about to lash out on Bakura once again, but quickly held myself back. Our last encounter was still pretty fresh and I didn't want to push him, since these last days he seemed more active than ever. I was scared of Ryou's well-being for good, plus that I didn't want to give him any reason to keep an eye on me, since I wanted to talk to the other spirit without having to be afraid of the consequences. So I kept silent, merely glaring angrily at the Ring.

Ryou left them and ran to the bathroom. He clutched his chest and seemed to be in extreme pain once again.

"Not again…! This sharp pain…!" he mumbled. My anger turned into rage. He opened his shirt and the Ring was glowing.

"Bakura!" I screamed out of control. Ryou was now supporting himself to the sink. Bakura chuckled. And then to my surprise, Ryou turned around and asked:

"Who's there?"

I was startled. He had… _heard Bakura?_ That had never happened before! What could possibly cause such a thing? Ryou looked around alarmed and Bakura spoke to him directly for the first time.

"I am...you…" Ryou clutched his head in pain and screamed.

"Not this…again…" _AGAIN?_ "It hurts…What's happening to my body?!" He fell on his knees. Now I was furious. So fast that Bakura could not respond, I had summoned our bond and, finding Bakura's presence, I _pushed_. Ryou glowed with me and I could see his face contorted in pain, which only made me angrier. I pushed harder. And I saw Bakura, a look of utter surprise and anger on his face getting out of Ryou.

"What are y-"his sentence was cut in half as he looked at me. "What the hell…"

"You've crossed the line Bakura! Get out and _stay out_!" I screamed. Everything flashed white for a moment and then Bakura was back in the Ring, Ryou was breathless and panting and I was shocked and exhausted. What had I just done?

Ryou was running as fast as possible. He was late to his gym class. To be honest, I don't know what he was thinking staying in school at all but there was not much I could do so…

His coach was a one of those guys who take great pleasure in torturing students. And there was something extremely wrong with his eyebrows. And his haircut. Was that guy really allowed to go out in public like that?

I looked around for Ryou's friends and sweatdropped when I saw Joey, Tristan and Yugi hopping. Whatever makes them happy is ok, I suppose. I mean, who am I to pass judgment?

Ryou arrived and the coach started yelling at him for being late. Just another day in school. I sighed.

"New student! You have some nerve coming late to _my _gym class."

If he could hear me I would tell him he was lucky. Ryou usually did not show up in gym class at all. The fact that he was there showed how much Bakura had messed him up, if you ask me.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't feeling well this morning…"

"Don't give me that shit! You were off with a flock of girls again, weren't you? So you are a player now, eh?" I scoffed. Someone had issues.

Ryou looked desperate now.

"That's not it! I really was-" The coach interrupted him by coming at him. This was starting to get serious.

"Keep your damn mouth shut! You sissy!" My mouth was at the ground. Just who this guy thought that he was? Ryou was about to cry. Joey came behind him.

"Hold it! If he says he's not feeling well, he's not!"

"Damn straight you son of a bitch!" I shouted. I had come to use a less than delicate language these last years as you may have noticed. But you can't blame me. I'm dead. I have issues. And Bakura. So I am obviously not to be blamed.

The coach turned his attention to Joey.

"What's this?"

"We talked to Bakura this morning and he really wasn't feeling well." said Tristan.

"That's right! Bakura wouldn't lie about something like that!" added Yugi.

Sure he would. That boy would pretend to be dead to avoid gym class. But that was not the case right now so…

"Yugi… Guys…" Ryou whispered gratefully.

"This your friendship eh? What losers!"

"Karita, you jerk!" shouted Joey. I happily added my own opinion of the coach, not that it mattered. It just made me a happier person.

"However, if you are friends with this guy bad things will happen to ya." He said pointing to Ryou. What, you'll throw your eyebrows at them? Ryou's mouth opened a bit in surprise. Karita smirked in a way that told me he wasn't about to say what a great person Ryou was.

"Everyone at his old schools that became friends with him had the fate of lying in bed with a coma." My jaw dropped. How could that guy possibly know that?

"That's just coincidence." said Tristan.

"Maybe it is all just coincidence! Right new student? You guys are friends with him, right?" he said in irony. The hurt in Ryou's face made my blood boil and some very "French" words come out of my mouth. I felt pretty evil that moment and I almost wished for Bakura. Ha! I would like this bastard to talk to _him_ like that! Bakura would first skin him and then send him to that Shadow Realm of his before he could blink!

"Bakura, don't mind him!" said Yugi, a cute smile on his face. I swear, if I could touch him, I would pinch those little cheeks of his for eternity…

Ryou shook his head. He then closed his eyes and kept his head down in shame.

"That's the reason I kept switching schools… Every one of my friends fell into a coma…Everyone…" he said, opening his eyes and looking at them sadly. They stared at him stunned. "Yugi, you guys, would be better off avoiding me. I'll be going now." He said and started running. I stayed back, shocked. First of all, he was willingly running. That and I wanted to see what the others would do.

"Hey, Bakura!" shouted Joey. Yugi stared at him sadly.

"Bakura…"

I looked at the idiotic grin in Karita's face and thought of some things bad enough to make Bakura proud of me. Then I shook my head and followed Ryou. He went to the principal's office and asked permission to leave. The principal gave him a look and then wrote him a note. But still, I could not fathom how Karita could possibly know about Ryou's friends. We were in Egypt for God's sake!

Then it hit me. Dad must have done it. He must have warned the school. I felt my blood boil once more. Now what, he was trying to make Ryou get arrested or something?

"Bastard…" I muttered, along with many other not-so-respectful adjectives that I believed could describe my father.

That evening, Ryou was sitting at his room, clearly desperate. He was at the verge of crying, clutching his head in his hands.

"I'll have to change schools again…! I can't stay in Domino High anymore…"

Bakura appeared beside me but, before I could say anything to him, he looked at Ryou's back.

"That would be a problem for me." he said. Ryou looked around, clearly angry. He could hear him again… That meant that Bakura had something to say. I moved towards him.

"Listen, you better leave him alone, at least for now, please!" I was in no position to fight him off again, I knew and I had to keep him away somehow. Of course he ignored me.

"I finally found the Millennium Puzzle after all…" Oh great.

"Who's there? Who _are_ you?"

Then a cloud of darkness surrounded them both and I could hear them no more. I panicked and tried to enter, but to no avail. I tried to use our bond to reach Ryou but I was too weak from what had happened this morning so I could not achieve much either. I had to admit it, Ryou was royally screwed and I could do nothing for him now.

It seemed that eons had passed till that cloud cleared and, when it did, Bakura was standing in front of me, the Ring's prongs buried deep in my brother's chest. But that was the least of my problems right now. Because all I had to do was look at his eyes to see that Bakura had snapped. He was not the sanest person to begin with, but now he had lost it and it terrified me.

He left and I had a feeling that a certain someone would not have a very pleasant night. I stayed home, not in the mood to witness Karita's death.

Bakura came home with a satisfied grin in his face, holding a new piece for Monster World. He put it away and switched back to Ryou, who opened his eyes with a sharp breath. He looked around.

"I passed out again…" he mumbled. Bakura appeared next to him. I just stared.

"His terror has now ended."

"What have you done?! What did you do to him?!"

Bakura laughed at Ryou. "Forget that. I can feel the Millennium Puzzle drawing closer." My eyes widened and so did Ryou's.

"Yugi…" he whispered terrified.

"Bakura. You are taking this too far. Let them be." I said, desperate.

"Or what? You cannot stop me, you are too weak and, even if you were not, your little stunts will not catch me unprepared again. Stay out of this, for your own good little one."

My eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me what to do Bakura. You and I both know that you can't back your threats up without hurting Ryou in the process and right now you need him."

"Oh look. The baby got teeth." He mocked.

"And nails too Bakura. And, if you so much as think of using Ryou to hurt his friends again, I will use them too."

"Now who's making empty threats?"

"They are not empty. I can and _will_ back them up."

He raised his brow at me again but before he could retort the bell rang. He smirked my way and turned to Ryou again.

"It seems they've come to see you. Aren't your friends nice?"

Ryou's jaw clenched as did my fists.

"Yugi!" shouted Ryou and then ran to the door. I followed straight after him, Bakura laughing behind us. Ryou seemed to be barely able to keep himself up.

"You mustn't…! Yugi don't come in here…!" His body trembled. Bakura took over and opened the door.

"Welcome. I'm so happy everyone came." I bet you are parasite. Still, that was my last chance to warn the spirit.

"Then I'll let myself in!" said Joey happily.

"Sorry for intruding!" said Tea.

I walked up to Yugi and looked at the Puzzle.

"Spirit. Please. I need to talk to you. I mean no harm." I whispered, scared. I didn't know what kind of person he was and I was also afraid of Bakura. He was too unpredictable. If he found out what I was doing… The spirit didn't respond and I started panicking, noticing absently that I did that a lot lately. "Please. You can feel him, can't you? I need to warn you. Please come out!" I felt energy coming off of the Puzzle and the spirit was in front of me. Had the situation not been so urgent I would have blushed, that's for sure.

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter! He plans to challenge you to a Shadow Game! He wants the Puzzle!"

By now however, Bakura had taken them to the Game room. Still it was not too late. The spirit's eyes widened and he moved to Yugi, presumably to take over him and stop Bakura. But I had something more to say.

"Wait!" The spirit turned to look at me. "My brother is innocent; he has no control over Bakura. You have to keep him safe and save him from the spirit of the Ring. If you try to harm him I will do anything in my power to stop you. Do not consider me weak." I said, meaning every word. I could stop him too if things came down to it, I was sure. My bond with my brother was truly strong, even after all these years.

The spirit's eyes softened and he nodded.

"I promise you. Thanks for the warning." He said and walked to Yugi.

I walked into the room after him. Bakura was explaining the rules in Monster World. The spirit froze.

"The Game has started." He said

I looked at him strangely. "Shouldn't he take them to that…cloudy…purply…uh…thing first?" I asked him.

It was his turn to look at me weird. "You are talking about the Shadow Realm?"

I nodded. He chuckled, despite the tension. "No. He can bring the Shadow magic here if he wants to without transporting us there. Besides, once they accepted the challenge, even unknowingly…the Game is on."

"Oh. Good. Great." I mumbled. I turned my attention back to the others. They were choosing characters.

"Role-playing means you have to become the role you are assigned. By getting inside the minds of the characters, the players can literally enter a world of imagination. That's this games true beauty." Muttered Bakura darkly, obviously satisfied that things were going his way.

I smirked. Sure Bakura, whatever makes you happy. Yugi turned and looked at him strangely, obviously sensing something.

"What's your name?" asked the spirit suddenly.

"Amane."

"Do you know his usual strategy Amane?"

"I don't know much. I never really stayed during one. But knowing him, he will probably transfer them into the board game."

"How?"

"He will seal their souls in the pawns they will choose. Then force them to play. If they win they go back to their bodies. If not, they stay sealed. Many of these pieces that he has contain Ryou's friends." I scowled. "He knows about you, spirit, but how much I do not know."

He nodded again.

"The monsters appear according to the player's actions or by fate itself." Bakura was saying. The pieces were in the field and I could feel my tension rising. I felt a hand in my shoulder and turned to look at the spirit, who was smiling to me reassuringly.

"All will be well. Do not worry."

"Yeah. But at what cost?"

"Don't be so pessimistic. As long as my friends are there I am not playing alone. This means my chances at winning are bigger. Also, your brother has you to support him and us to get him out safely."

"You are saying that I cannot protect my brother on my own?"

"Can you?"

"No, I guess I don't. But no need to rub it in my face, pretty boy." He chuckled.

I looked back at the game. The spirit went beside Yugi.

"Spirit." He looked at me. "Good luck. And if I can do anything for you…" he nodded and vanished.

"Tea's right! Let's go to the town!" Yugi was saying happily.

"Okay. You guys take five turns to enter the village." Said Bakura and removed one of the houses, revealing a little tavern with figures in it. I could feel the souls that were trapped in them shaking with fear. My fists clenched.

"Awesome!" said Miho

"Alright! Let's gather some info!" They were so oblivious to the danger that it was making me feel sick. "Hey, where the hell are all the monsters around here?" asked Joey, moving his figure in the tavern. The figure turned and I gasped. It was Karita. Joey laughed.

"Look at this villager figure!"

"It looks just like Karita from gym!" said Tristan.

"Joey!" shouted Karita. Joey and Tristan stared strangely at each other.

"Did ya say something?" asked Joey

"No…" answered Tristan

"Save me! That Bakura bastard somehow turned me into a doll and trapped me here!"

"Huh? Did that doll just speak?" asked Miho. I slapped my forehead. Poor Karita had spelled it out for them. Were they absolute idiots? Couldn't they _see_ that this was not my brother? And why was the spirit allowing this farce to continue?

"Are you stupid?" asked Joey angrily. Well I was about to ask you the same my friend.

"What?" asked Tristan angrily, shoving Joey down.

All were lost, now I was sure.

"All the characters but the Adventurers are played by the Master." said Yugi.

"Then it was Bakura speaking?" asked Miho.

Meanwhile, Bakura was staring angrily at Karita, who was about to have a heart attack. Somehow. You get my point.

Karita turned and started acting his designed role.

"R-Recently, the dark Lord Zorc appeared and took over the castle. After that, evil monsters began appearing all over this world. Some of my fellow villagers have lost their lives."

"What? Unforgivable!" said Joey. "Where's the castle?"

"The castle is north of here."

"Alright! We are headed for the castle! Let's move out!"

They moved their pieces and the creep smiled.

"Hold it. That is a monster area. There is danger of random appearances by monsters. If you should land on a space where one sleeps, a monster will appear."

Yugi moved his piece forward and a monster appeared.

"A monster has appeared. The thing starting in front of you is a goblin."

"About time! I was getting bored of this game!" said Joey as he attacked with Tristan and Yugi.

"Battles are decided with these 10-sided dice." interrupted Bakura, showing them the dice.

"10-sided dice?"

"That's the first time I've seen dice like that." added Tristan.

Yeah, because that's the problem here. The dice.

"The white dice acts as the ones and the red as the tens." explained Bakura." The closer to 0 you roll the more damage you inflict." He smirked. "But in the event you should get a 99, a penalty awaits you."

"It would be a nice idea to come out now spirit." I murmured. Where was he anyway?

"Alright! Here I go!" said Joey. I swear, if it was possible for me to do so, I would have gone there and beat the daylights out of him.

He threw the dice and came out with a 13. Bakura wrote something to the computer. I stared at him strangely. Since when was he able to use a computer?

"Okay. It's a hit." he said.

"Alright! A direct hit!"

"Joey that was great!" said Miho happily.

"Alright we can do this!" said Tristan

"Alright!" added Tea.

Yugi was jumping up and down. Bakura was smirking what I called his "mwahaha" smirk. I know it's a ridiculous thing to call a smirk but… well I'm dead. That should give me an excuse for everything. Joey moved his piece.

"Let's move onward!"

"Someone's passed out!" said Yugi.

"Poor guy… Let's help him!" said Tea

"But it's weird. It may be a trap…" Now, what makes you say that?

"Let's just do it." answered Miho, picking the fallen piece up and putting it to a standing position.

"Please help me. A monster attacked me in the woods and stole my treasure!" I couldn't recognize this one. But I could feel it had something in.

"Treasure? Where?"

"Yes! That treasure was the Holy Sword needed to defeat Zorc!"

"A Holy Sword that can beat Zorc?" asked Joey.

"I beg of you! Please get that Sword back!"

"What do we do?" asked Tea

"Can we really find a Sword that can beat Zorc that easily?" asked Yugi, still suspicious.

"A true man never thinks that way!" answered Joey. I should mention here that I was now at the point that, if any of them could hear me, they would probably blush. Even Bakura.

"It'll be alright! Let's go!"

"Alright! Let's head to the forest!"

"Thank you very much! I will come along with you."

Bakura wrote to the lap-top again.

"Okay. You guys will now go to the forest. This area has a monster encounter rate of 80%. Judgment Roll!" he said.

The dice fell.

"05. Five monsters appear! You have to battle them!" He sounded so happy. It was freaking me out. Well, more than I already was anyway.

"Alright! I'm gonna roll!" Yeah, you do that Joey.

"82! Bad luck! Joey trips and falls."

"That sucked." muttered Tristan as he and Yugi sweatdropped. "Leave this to the Beautification Member!" I blinked. The what?

"21! Very good! A hit!" Miho hugged him and I was pretty sure that it was the happiest moment in Tristan's life. I shook my head. That guy was hopeless.

"Alright! My turn!" shouted Yugi. He rolled the dice.

"25! The Beast Tamer can touch an enemy with his Magic Hands and turn them into an ally." Yugi pointed to a random monster.

"I choose you! Friend Hand!" Two huge hands appeared and enclosed the monster Yugi chose. When they opened they revealed… I squealed in delight and cooed at it. So cute! My attention came back to the game when Miho threw the dice.

"76! The girl has found a bag of money! There are still three monsters left."

"Then I'll go now." Tea rolled the dice.

"Go for it Tea!" cheered Yugi. He so has a crush on her…

They came to a double zero. I cheered and Bakura seemed ready to explode. What a sore loser.

"A Super Critical Hit! She can tap into her highest level power and finish this in a one-kill attack!"

Tea attacked and the monsters vanished. I made a little victory dance as the others congratulated her. Then the other doll chuckled. For a reason, it seemed like it was not a congratulation-chuckle thing.

"So you are indeed the Adventurers that would dare to defy me. But you fell for my lies and entered the forest. This will be your end!" Oh bullocks. The others looked at the doll freaked out.

"What the-?! Who the hell are you?" asked Joey.

The doll glowed purple and transformed. "I am the Dark Master Zorc!" Of course you are. I believe we are royally screwed.

"Zorc?!" Yes Yugi. Zorc. The bad guy. Now, if you would be so kind as to ask the spirit to come out and _do_ something…

"Let me tell you this! There is no Sword in this world that can defeat me!" Yeah, but maybe a mirror would do the job. I bet even you wouldn't be able to stand _that_ face. He kept laughing like crazy.

"The players have been completely deceived and have now been caught off guard! Therefore Zorc gets to take the first attack."

"Shit! He deceived us!" Well, he didn't have to work very hard, so I don't get why they were so surprised about it…

"Zorc attacks." Bakura rolled the dices. "00- a Super Critical Hit! Zorc's Dark Power assaults the players! And the first target shall be _you_! Sleep of the Mind!" he yelled pointing at Miho. She fell on the board.

"Miho!" yelled Tristan.

"What's wrong Miho?!" asked Joey. Bakura's smirk was the "mwahaha" one again. So Miho was trapped.

"Bakura, what did you do to Miho?" shouted Yugi angrily. Where_ are you_ spirit?! Bakura looked at them.

"The game you are playing right now is the ultimate role-playing game!"

"The ultimate?" said Joey suspiciously.

"The player's fate is decided by the dice. Either you'll attack Zorc with a Super Critical Hit or you'll fumble again with a 99… Then the Dark Power will seal the player's soul within their doll." he had revealed his game, which probably meant that the true fun was about to start. Still the spirit was not out. Had I misjudged him? Was he like Bakura, wanting Yugi's body for himself?

"Where are you spirit? It's a good time to come out!" I said, desperate. Why was he still not out kicking Bakura's butt?

"Bakura! You'd better tell me what you've done to Miho right now!" shouted Tristan.

Bakura spread his hands.

"Relax. Nosaka Miho is certainly alive. In the game world, that is."

Then we heard someone shouting.

"Why is everyone so big all of a sudden!?" her face froze and she screamed.

"Miho!" Yugi stared at Bakura furious.

"There is only one way to retrieve her soul. You'll have to defeat Dark Master Zorc." Easy for you to say. You are Zorc.

"Miho I'm coming to save you!" Tristan yelled, rolling the dice. "05! I did it!"

"Tristan! It was not your turn to attack! To disrespect the game makes you the worst!" Right. That's coming from the guy that seals peoples' souls for no reason. Just because it makes him happy.

"D-damn it!"

"Let me show you what happens when you roll the dice without the Master's permission!" he pointed at Tristan and he fell unconscious, just like Miho.

"Tristan!"

"Bakura you jerk…" said Joey.

"Now then, let's continue the game. Next up."

He looked so happy… seriously that guy goes beyond sick. And where the _hell_ was the _fucking spirit! _

"It's my turn! I'll bust out a Super Critical with these dice." said Joey and rolled the dice.

"Your hands are shaking." Bakura stated calmly.

"Who's-?"

"It's meaningless… you'll be stuck as a doll for all eternity if you do after all. But you have no choice but to pit your life on the dice and find out."

"Shut up! I'm not scared of you! I'm shaking in anger!"

"That is for the dice to decide."

"Joey you can do it!" encouraged Tea.

"I know!" he answered and rolled. I stared anxiously, waiting for the result.

"99!"

"Are you joking?! I am afraid you say?" Well, in all honesty…

"The dice never lie. Penalty Game!" he shouted again and Joey collapsed, to reappear in the board. Bakura laughed psychotically and I wondered momentarily if he practiced it or something. It was frightening that's for sure.

"Joey!" yelled Tristan.

"Shit you gotta believe me, I wasn't scared!"

"Well next is Yugi. It's your turn." said Bakura. Yugi stared at him and I could see his anger turn to rage in his eyes.

"Yugi…" murmured Tea.

"What's wrong? Are you too scared to move?"

"Yugi we are counting on you!" shouted the others from the board.

"Everyone…"

"Now." ordered Bakura. Yugi stared at his friends, determined and angry.

"Before that Bakura, transfer my soul into my doll too!" he demanded. My jaw dropped. Did that boy had a death wish? Unless… Bakura looked at him as shocked as I was.

"What did you say? You want to become a doll?!"

"I'll fight with everyone together on the field!"

"Impossible!" Bakura's eyes were narrowed with anger. Obviously that was not the way he had envisioned this game.

"Me too! Turn me into a doll too!" shouted Tea.

"Tea!" Yugi looked at her shocked and she nodded at him reassuringly. Bakura smirked again.

"Fine. As you wish… However, with no one to throw the dice your power will become vain. You really think you can win?" I began to understand Yugi's plan. He knew of the spirit and he was allowing it to take control. But couldn't Bakura see it, if I could?

"Hurry." ordered Yugi angrily.

"You fools… This will be game over!" he said and pointed at them, laughing. "Now all players have been turned into dolls! This game is mine, the Master's victory!" Yeah, what about having the psychopathic rant later and turn your head…

As if hearing me, he did and seemed to be completely shocked to see the spirit sitting in Yugi's place.

"Is that so? Let's continue the game. I believe we left off to the Warrior right?" He rolled the dice. "03! A hit!" And I believe the appropriate thing to say here is a "boo-yah". Joey slashed at Zorc's arm.

"Alright!" cheered Tristan.

"I thought I told you! With my friends here why would I be scared?"

Bakura got angrier.

"Don't worry. Everyone can rely on me. I'll beat Zorc down for good!" he mocked Bakura.

"Go spirit!" I cheered, thrusting my hand in the air.

The others looked terrified. Zorc was coming their way and fast. Joey looked up at the spirit.

"That's…"

"T-the other Yugi…" whispered Tea. I turned my attention to Bakura. He was smirking slightly and looked to the spirit with a calculating glare. The spirit looked back at him unafraid.

"Let's continue the game." he said finally.

"Very well. Since all the other members have fallen, you'll be throwing the dice for all of them." There had to be a catch. Bakura was not known for his generosity. "But if the player character's Hit Points reach 0 they die." See? I was right. There's the catch. The spirit seemed to be thinking hard.

"The battle continues. It's true Zorc sustained a wound last round, but he looks undamaged still. You could say things have gotten worse for the Adventurers!"

I looked to the board, to see the piece of Zorc's flesh transforming into two new monsters. I stared scared as Zorc left the new monsters to deal with our friends and left. I awakened from my stupor when I heard the spirit talk.

"There is." What?

"Now let us continue this battle. It's the warrior's chance to attack. Now go on and roll the dice, but don't forget what will happen to this character if you should roll a 99-fumble!"

The spirit rolled. "Super Critical! The Warrior uses Energetic Slash to cut the enemies!"

"Way to go!" I cheered. Bakura was staring at the dice in disbelief.

"What's wrong Bakura? Let's hurry and get on with the game."

He wrote quickly something to the computer and then read aloud.

"Seeing the other monster slain by the Warrior, the remaining enemy hesitates and loses his action. Beast Tamer it's your chance to attack!"

The spirit nodded and Yugi targeted the remaining enemy.

"Zorc Arm Dragon was once a part of Zorc himself. The chances of brainwashing him are only 10%!"

This meant that Yugi needed a dice with less than 10 as a result!

"Judgment Roll!" The spirit rolled, but the red dice landed in 8. That was ba- wait! The other dice hit it and it spanned again! How the-

"What? The spinning dice hit the stopped dice to change the value…! This technique…!"

"That's right, this is called "double hit" one of the many ways to cheat with dice." Well, I thought the point of cheating is to do your job and keep it a secret…"Bakura, the same applies to your "run of the critical"! My eyes widened. So he was cheating?

"Another critical?!" said Bakura when the dice landed on 02.

"That means the brainwashing is successful. Appear Training Hands!"

So Bakura was cheating… I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but…

"Bakura… it's a pity for you but, if you feel the need to cheat then so do I."

"Okay… from now on when we roll the dice…we'll let the dice slip off our hands. Spinning the dice is hereby prohibited."

"Fine."

"We continue the game! After taking care of Zorc's bodyguards the players move onward."

They continued playing and soon the Adventurers arrived at Zorc's castle. There they fell into a deadly trap and the spirit had only three chances to roll the dice to bring the correct number which consisted of two same digits. The two first rolls were not the right ones, which resulted in Zorc's appearance and attack. However, due to the not so good roll Bakura had, his attack left the others a bit burned but otherwise safe. In the last roll, thanks to Miho's special ability, they managed to escape, dodging Zorc's slicing attack. By getting behind him they earned a surprise attack. They started attacking Zorc one by one, the spirit being able to get high attack points for the Adventurers. However that was not enough, since Zorc was a top-level monster and our friends were only level 1. Zorc had sustained some minor wounds but that was the end of it. They were shocked and Bakura explained to the spirit that, as the Master and creator of this world, he was the one making every single law. So, the game was created so that only he could win. There was no hope for them and certainly not for Ryou.

That's when I saw him open a secret draw under the board. There were some figures in there, strong ones, which contained the souls of Ryou's friends. And there was a pair of dice, which had souls in it too. And if I had to guess from the way the pawns acted, completely submitting to his will, then that went for the dice too. He was cheating once again, but this time the spirit could not know and I had no way of warning him.

He rolled the dice and a Super Critical came, giving Zorc the power to attack in his highest level of power.

"Zorc's dark magic! DARK CATASTROPHE!"" They stood nο chance.

"Everyone!" screamed the spirit when all the pieces fell.

Bakura chuckled."Zorc's attack has the power to bring a character with over 50 hit points down to zero. All the players are dead aren't they? There's probably no point but let me calculate how many hit points the players lost."

"No!" I whispered, tears running down my cheeks.

"This game is decided by this computer's data after all…"

That's when time stopped.

Bakura was frozen in place, his hands still on the lap-tops keyboard and so was the spirit.

"Amane behind you." I turned around and saw the spirit standing there and looking at me, anxiousness obvious in his amethyst-colored eyes.

"But- you can't- you are-"I was out of words. He was here in front of me and he was also frozen in his seat.

"No time to explain. Listen. Is there any way that Bakura can be cheating again?"

"How do you know?"

"Amane! I said there's no time! Answer me!"

"Yes, the dice. He changed them with a pair of dice that had souls trapped in them. If he wanted them they would perform ballet for him. The souls are afraid."

"Is there any way to stop him?"

"I don't know. You are the game genius."

"Is there any way to contact your brother so he can help us?"

"I can't. I have tried many times. Impossible."

"Try again. We depend on you and him now. He is our last chance!"

"So you want him to cheat for you?"

"Amane focus!"

I sighed and closed my eyes. I searched for my brother's presence in the Ring and pressed. Nothing.

"I can't go past the Ring's defenses. Bakura never really liked me meddling with his things." I said keeping my eyes closed.

"I'll help you." said the spirit and I felt another force pushing the Ring with me. There was not much damage done, definitely not enough for me to reach Ryou. And then…

"I see it!" I said and shoved myself in a tiny crack. And then I was in the Ring.

Narrow corridors with stone walls around them were the first thing I saw. And I felt so much dark energy that sent chills down my spine. If whatever was resting here found me, bond or no bond, I was a goner. I started looking for Ryou. The spirit said there was no time. But how would I know where to look? It's not like there were arrows pointing to Ryou's direction…

I slapped my forehead. With all of this dark energy it should not be so hard to sense Ryou's light. And with some help…

I summoned our bond and focused on Ryou once more. And after a while, I found him. I started following his trace and ended up in front of a door. I opened it and, there, laying unconscious was my brother. I ran to him and, kneeling beside him started to shake him.

"Ryou wake up!" Nothing. "Ryou!" Still empty-handed. Now he was just asking for it.

I slapped him as hard as I could. His eyes opened and when he saw me, he gave me a hard push that sent me flying. Boy, had he become strong.

"Well, not exactly the heartfelt welcome I expected…" I murmured, standing up.

"What do you want from me?! Isn't what you've done to me so far enough for you? Leave my sister out of this!" he shouted, looking angry beyond any reason.

I stared at him strangely. "Have you gone mad?"

"Don't play with me spirit!"

Oh right. He thought I was Bakura. Well thank goodness I was not shot or something then. If it was me I would totally try to shoot me.

"Ryou it's me! Listen!"

"No! Go away!" I was losing patience and time.

"Ryou you dumbass! It's me, Amane! Do you want me to spell it out for you? A-M-A-N-E! Cut the crap and listen, there is no time for this!"

"No!" Why you little-

I walked up to him and, when he cowered away from me, I hugged him tightly.

"It's me Ryou. Please. Your friends need you. Bakura is going to destroy them." I summoned our bond and the light encased us. I sent him all of my joy for being able to talk to him and touch him again and shared my thoughts with him showing him his darkest moments and how I fought for him and standed next to him. I had to convince him. There was not much time. I pulled away.

"Do you see?" He was crying.

"Amane…" I cut him there.

"No time. We need to save your friends. Can you help?" He nodded.

"The spirit is weakened. He has put some part of him in the doll that represents Zorc. When Zorc was injured-"

"Bakura was instantly less strong." I finished.

"Right. I can take control of his left arm but I will need the extra strength. That way, I will change the data he will insert to the calculator to our advantage."

"Won't he know?"

"He is too full of himself to notice. He considers me too weak to pose a problem for him."

"How do you know what was going on?"

"I was watching through the Ring."

"Then couldn't you sense me at least?" He shook his head no. Figures.

"Okay. I'm going out. The spirit will not be able to hold for much more." He inhaled sharply.

"The_ spirit_?"

"The spirit of Yugi's Puzzle. He is a friend." He nodded uncertainly.

"How will we be able to talk and share energy with each other if you go out though?"

"I entered through a flaw in the Ring's defenses. Keep it open."

"What if I can't?"

"Try. You can be a pessimistic crybaby later. If you fail, I will feel it and try to help you and when this is all over I'll do my best to kick your British butt."

"You are British too!" I narrowed my eyes at him. He sighed.

"See you later Amane." I nodded and left. It was up to us to stop Bakura and hell would freeze over before we failed. I got out, still able to feel Ryou, though I needed to put some strain to do it. Spirit looked tired. I went to him and quickly told him about what Ryou proposed. He nodded.

"That will be good. Try to touch him if you can. The closer you are to the Ring, the easiest it will be."

"Right." I went behind a frozen Bakura and placed my hands on his shoulders. Sort of.

"_Ready Ryou?"_ I asked through the link we now shared.

"_Ready! 1, 2…"_

"_3!" _I said and then added my strength to his and channeled it to the weak arm. We met no resistance and took over it. The spirit was panting.

"We are in control." I told him.

"Then let the game continue. Do not lose contact with Ryou."

I nodded and everything started moving once more. I was wrong. The real fun begins _now._

"Entering Zorc's attack power…" Bakura was saying not noticing that we were giving wrong data to the computer with our hand, therefore destroying his chance to get them killed for sure. "What? There's still one hit point left? It can't be!"

"_Seriously Ryou? One hit point?"_

"_Don't you have someone else to annoy?"_

"_And after all I've done for you…_ "I answered dramatically.

"Everyone!" said the spirit relieved when our friends standed up again. Bakura seemed freaked out.

"_Let's destroy Bakura's life."_

"_I am Bakura."_

"_Me too. But I mean the spirit of the Ring. That's what he calls himself."_

"_Oh. I want him to know it is us Amane."_

"_No. It will be easy to send me away if he knows I am helping you. He may figure it out anyway. He is not dumb. Don't forget that if not for us, this game was his." _

"_Alright then."_

We started typing. Bakura, seeing that he was not in control of his left arm panicked. We wrote:

"**I am Bakura Ryou. I won't let you kill my friends. I will fight too!"**

Bakura raised our hand and stared at it angry. Then he glanced at Zorc's piece and I could practically see the click in his mind. Then he moved the computer away. Yeah, fat chance to stop us now.

"The game continues." he said. The spirit had kept a serious face through the whole ordeal, but I had seen a tiny smirk flickering in his face.

"So, on the next turn sorceress Tea can act. But Zorc can act too. In this situation we decide who goes first by using the dice. We both roll the dice and the one closer to 00 goes first. Here we go! The dice roll of fate!"

They rolled and Bakura almost instantly started laughing, his command to the dice to give him a Super Critical. We channeled to them and tried to change that, to confuse the dice but we had no way of knowing if we had succeeded. We stared at them anxiously.

"My dice got a Super Critical!" he said. The spirit got a 09.

"The duel is over Yugi! Prepare yourself! Zorc attacks first!"

The spirit's pained expression changed though and a wide grin replaced it.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you have holes for eyes? Take another look at the dice!"

It said 10. Tea was going first. She used a spell and the gang's vitality was instantly restored. Bakura took a hold of the dice and stared at them furious.

"What's wrong Bakura? You look pale."

"What are you saying? Even with restored hit points you guys are still nothing compared to Zorc. On the next attack he will completely obliterate you guys."

Zorc roared.

"_What an ass."_

"_Amane!" _

"_What?"_

"Deciding Zorc's counter attack! 110% chance that everyone gets hit!" He was so wrapped in his little victory rant that he didn't notice we had taken the dice from him. We rolled. When he saw it, it was too late. We had given a new order to the Mind Dice and no one would interfere now. Bakura's jaw dropped. We had commanded da 99. Fumble. He caught our hand in rage. Zorc threw his attack to himself.

"_We did it Ryou!" _I cheered. Then Bakura screamed.

"This damn left hand!"

He brought our hand down to one of the towers and passed it through it almost all the way. Spirit's eyes widened and we screamed in pain.

"Now you can't act as you'd like Bakura Ryou!" he said laughing maniacally. I started swearing, not moving my hands from where they were, but the pain Ryou and I shared was incredible. Bakura took the hand out and we screamed again. The spirit's eyes narrowed.

"Next is the beast tamer Yugi's turn. So hurry up with it already." said Bakura.

"Beast Tamer will try his hand power on Demon King Zorc." the spirit said looking at Zorc's left arm momentarily.

"What? Hand Power is a spell used for turning enemy monsters into comrades. Do you think that would work on Zorc?"

"_Ryou I think that when Bakura injured our hand, he unknowingly allowed the spirit to know which part of his body we control."_

"_Consequently, which part of Zorc's body is the weakest!"_

"_Yugi's power is one of light…"_

"_He is trying to help us! But I have a better idea!"_

"_What?"_

"_We will seal my soul into the White Mage! When Yugi attacks, I will come out on the board!"_

His plan was smart, but dangerous. Still, I would be able to give him energy if needed…

"_Can you do that?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Take care."_

"_You too."_

I focused on him and gave him my energy, allowing him to manipulate it as he wished. Yugi attacked. We acted as fast as possible and when Yugi's hands attacked Zorc, smoke came out and Ryou as the White Mage emerged from the wound. I was exhausted, but I was still needed, for now. After all, Bakura's face that exact moment was such a precious image to behold…

"The magic gunman attacks next!" cried the spirit and rolled. The result was a 15. Tristan attacked and, surprisingly, his attack was much more effective than before.

"Zorc's defense points are not the same as before. I used my white magic to lower his power!" I heard Ryou explain. I stared at Zorc and indeed Tristan's attack had wiped a whole junk out of his belly. Bakura chuckled and the spirit's expression became more serious.

And then Zorc transformed, becoming even uglier, if possible. But also more powerful. Just what I needed. I mean, could Bakura make my life easier and lose? No of course not. I sighed.

"This is Zorc's final form!" He can't get any more ugly, that's for sure. "And I this turn Zorc attacks first!"

"_Ryou we can raise their defenses, can't we?"_

"_There is not enough time!" _

"_But now we can't control the dice!"_ Ryou said nothing.

"Dice Roll!"

"Super Critical!"

Zorc attacked.

"_Amane lend me your strength!"_

"_That's what I'm doing you idiot!"_

"White Magic! Shining Shield!" Now Ryou was turning his Hit points to magical energy since he had none left. My energy was all gone too. I allowed my hands to fall and my link with Ryou was severed. Now I could only watch once again.

They had found Zorc's weak spot. In his new form, it was an eye in the center of his chest from which he unleashed all his attacks. However, if they were not fast it would close, which meant they were doomed, my brother along with them. All seems lost, until the first beast Yugi tamed, surged forward and stopped the eye from closing. They would have to sacrifice it, if they wanted to defeat Zorc once and for all. But they refused.

"Just wait Poki! I'll definitely save you." said Yugi and attacked.

"Guiding Hand Jet Stream Punch!" he cried and the hands hit Zorc straight on his weak spot, saving Poki in the process. I was speechless. At last, we were so close to an end…

"Damn you!"

"Furthermore, the soldier attacks!"

"Go spirit!" I cheered. He rolled.

"The finisher! Exploding Spirit Slash!" shouted Joey and slashed Zorc in half.

"They did it! We win!" I shouted excited.

"No, not yet!" I heard the spirit say to one of my friends.

"I still have options! Not finishing Zorc in that attack will cost you your lives! On the next turn, Zorc and the players have the chance to simultaneously attack! Yugi! This is the last dice roll!" said Bakura gleefully. I started demonstrating my extreme knowledge of "French" once again. "We both roll and the winner gets to attack first!"

"You are on Master!"

"If I get first strike, I'll have Zorc blow himself up with the players! If you guys are wiped out I win!"

Bakura smirked and I sensed the Ring activating. His eyes were those of a crazy person who had nothing to lose. But what had he done with the Ring?

This roll would determine who would go first, therefore the result of the game. I held my breath. They tied in Super Critical, which meant that Bakura as the Master would go first.

"NO! Ryou! Guys!" I screamed but that would solve nothing. Bakura was about to give the finishing order when the dice started shining. Then cracks appeared. A cloud of dark energy came out and surrounded Bakura, just as he had done to my brother this evening. My chest started to ache and I knew Ryou was inside. And then it swallowed the others too, but still I could not get inside. I sobbed, watching powerless from the sidelines once more. All I could do was wait.

After a while I heard a cracking sound and Bakura's dice were broken. How-

"Master! Your dice are gone! We get first strike!" Tea attacked and Zorc was destroyed. The Ring shined. And the Shadow Realm took me in.

I was alone in the dark. Where were the others?

"Spirit! Where are you spirit?" I shouted scared like I never was before.

"Behind you Amane." I turned around and, when I saw him I smiled and ran up to him.

"Spirit! You did it!" I cried happily, hugging him tight. He didn't return my hug though and when I raised my head I saw an expression of guilt in his face. I took my hands from around him and stared at him. "What's wrong?"

"Amane don't you wonder why we are here?" I nodded.

"Do you remember when the dice broke?" I nodded again.

"That was because the spirit of the Ring sealed a piece of his soul in it so that he could control the dices' result and win. But your brother, in order to save his friends, did the same, breaking the dice from the inside, thus destroying his soul too. We protected him at that moment and thanks to his bravery we emerged victorious. But now the Shadow Realm came to claim its prey."

"Ryou." I whispered. The spirit nodded. My anger rose.

"You said you'd protect him!" I yelled at him. "You promised spirit!"

"That's why we are here Amane." he said, guilt increasing tenfold in his eyes. My anger turned to confusion. I looked at him.

"I don't understand. Speak clearly."

"The Shadow Realm does not care whether or not the person that was supposed to go there does so. It simply wants the promised number of souls." My mind went blank.

"I don't und-"

"I think you do." he interrupted me. "The spirit of the Millennium Ring is gone. He lost, so he was instantly transported to the Realm of Shadows. Now there is one more soul to be claimed."

"You are asking me to sacrifice my soul for Ryou?"

All of a sudden, I was very much aware of our surroundings. Only darkness, not a shimmer of light and the _cold_…

"Yes." was his simple answer.

My mouth hung open for a moment, not knowing what to say. It was another thing fighting for my brother, or fighting with him, but this… To stay in here for all of eternity, all alone…why do this?

"What will happen to him if he gets trapped here?" I asked, trying to convince myself that maybe it was nothing; maybe I didn't have to do it… I certainly did not want to…

"The shadows will drain him slowly, using his worst fears to do so. They will feed off of his anger, hurt, pain, sadness… till there is nothing left of him and he is another shadow."

I started to sob. My life was cut short and I had lived through Ryou. I was by his side, trying to pretend that, even after death I still had a life. It was delusional, I knew, but I was happy and it was okay by me. But now…

"I don't want to do this spirit. Please I don't want to…" I started mumbling incoherently, sobbing uncontrollably and shaking with fear. He pulled me in his chest and allowed me to sob there. I hugged him in return and he stroked my hair softly to soothe me.

"Hush, Amane, it's okay… everything will be well…" he said understanding my choice, the choice he knew I would make all along. "I will send you to a semi-lethargic state. You will not be truly aware of what is happening…you will not understand a thing…"

He was extremely uncomfortable with this whole situation, I could tell, but he still stayed there to say goodbye. He owed me that much. I pulled away from him.

"How long will it take for me to… to be… drained?"

"I don't know. It could take a second and it could take forever. Time does not matter in the shadows."

"Will it hurt?"

"I told you. I will make sure that you will understand little to nothing."

I nodded. "Alright. But I want one more thing."

"What?"

"Ryou must not remember anything of my interference. He must think that he did everything on his own. But _you_ will remember me spirit, that you were not able to protect me. You will remember that I am rotting in the Shadow Realm because of your friends. And with that in mind, you will protect Ryou as much as you can. If anything happens to him, I will find a way to get out of here and kill you. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"Good. Now about that "not understand a thing" thing you promised…"

He nodded again and the Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead. I felt myself getting light- headed. My vision blurred.

"Sweet dreams Amane…" he whispered.

Then the darkness came and I was no more.

**A/N: I wanted to save Amane by making Atem release her from the Shadow Realm before passing on to the afterlife and giving her the choice to stay or rest in peace. However I decided that it was the best part to stop it since anything else would be even less realistic. Hope you liked it and can't wait to hear your opinion on my first story ever posted! See ya!**


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